My Lady
by yarnsyarns
Summary: Josephine can be so formal at times. F!Inquisitor/Josephine. Oneshot.


**On my second playthrough of Inquisition already and I still can't _not_ romance Josephine. She's such an adorable, precious cinnamon roll and I just had to write about it. Enjoy!**

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><p>Innes Trevelyan had only managed to peel one of her boots off before plonking down unceremoniously on her bed. Her glorious, glorious bed. Breathing in the warm smell of layer upon layer of quilts and sheets, she made a mental note to send Leliana a fruit basket when she woke up. The Inquisition's spymaster had the bed specially imported from Orlais after they were settled at Skyhold, and it had become Innes' favorite thing at the fortress.<p>

Well, second favorite thing.

The mage felt a twinge of guilt that she hadn't stopped in at the ambassador's chambers to announce that she was finally home, but she seriously doubted she could have spared the energy without collapsing halfway up the stairs to her room. Maker help her, it was a _long_ climb. Without a doubt, Josephine knew that Innes was back, anyway. She'd make her way up whenever she was done with paperwork, or whatever else it was that ambassadors did.

With a tiny grunt, Innes lifted her head from the mattress and gestured lazily at the expansive fireplace that faced the foot of her bed, magic springing from the tips of her fingers and igniting the semi-charred logs stacked within. She had the nasty habit of leaving the balcony doors open even when she was travelling far away from Skyhold. It left the room a bit chilly. Sometimes a bit bird-y, as well. Bull had proven he had a knack for scaring away birds, provided they didn't perch on his horns, so at least _that_ wasn't much of an issue. She yawned grandly, flipping onto her back and beginning to fuss with her other boot. Just has she had wrangled it off, there was a knock on the door. Heart rising to her throat, she practically tripped over herself to answer. Flinging the door open, she found herself a little disappointed to not be looking at a golden-eyed, magnificently curvy Antivan woman, but a bare, grey torso.

"Hey, boss." Bull boomed, smiling warmly at the Inquisitor. "Heard you were back."

Innes leaned on the doorframe.

"That I am. Hell of a trip."

"Heard you saw a dragon!" Piped an eager, thickly accented voice from behind the wall of Qunari. An instant later, Sera poked her head through Bull's arm that he had rested on his hip. Innes smiled faintly.

"Yeah. Made sure _seeing_ it was _all_ we did." She replied. Sera's face fell a bit, then perked up.

"That's all good then, yeah? Bull would have been right pissin' if you tried to kill it without him." She said, looking up at their large comrade, who nodded.

"That's right."

Innes laughed, running a hand through her dishwater blonde hair.

"I thought so. Did find a tooth by its nest, though." She said, looking up at Bull. "I asked Varric to bring it to you."

Iron Bull visibly brightened.

"My thanks, boss." He said. Cracking his knuckles, he gestured to the flight of stairs leading to Skyhold's main hall. "Wanted to see if you'd be interested in a game of Wicked Grace at the tavern. Cullen's gonna come try to redeem himself."

Innes laughed at the memory of seeing her commander stripped to nothing but his smallclothes and one sock, after which he got himself so pissing drunk Bull had to sling him over his shoulder to get him back to his chambers.

"It's tempting, but tonight's going to be a pass for me." She said, feeling legitimately remorseful. "Tomorrow night, perhaps?"

"Aw, c'mon, Inky!" Sera chirped. "It'll be fun!"

Innes was about to reply, when the sound of a throat being cleared behind her friends cut her off. Craning her neck, her heart tittered when she saw Josephine gazing at her warmly. Bull's eyes travelled from Josephine, to Innes, to the roaring fireplace, then back to Innes. Giving her a knowing look, he placed Sera in a gentle headlock.

"Boss says no, then Boss means no. We'll get her good and whacked tomorrow night." He said, turning around and bowing his head at Josephine.

"You're invited too, Scribbles." He said, dragging the squirming elf away from the Inquisitor and her diplomat.

"How could I refuse?" Josephine replied in her typical purr. Innes opened the door wider and beckoned her inside. As Josephine passed by her, she caught the familiar scent of parchment, exotic spices, and candle wax, setting her blood aflame. The Inquisitor closed the door, effectively muting the sound of Sera's lingering protests. Leaning against the door, Innes allowed her eyes to sweep quickly over Josephine.

"Hi." She began lamely, earning herself a chuckle from the Antivan beauty.

"Good evening." Josephine crooned, looping a finger under the mage's belt and pulling her farther into the room. Ever since her duel with Josephine's would-be fiancé in Val Royeaux, the other woman had become more and more forthcoming with her advances. Innes was sure that it had a lot to do with her admitting that she was in love with the ambassador, but she wasn't going to complain. Especially because it often led to those fancy Orlesian sheets being defiled. It was refreshing to see the normally prim and proper woman come a little unbound. Innes suppressed a shiver.

"You are still in your armor." Josephine clucked, effectively halting her thoughts from veering down unholy paths.

"I just got in." she replied, shrugging. "Then I was interrupted by tweedle big and tweedle small."

Josephine laughed, and it was honestly becoming Innes' favorite sound in the world. Corypheus and the Inquisition be damned, her sole purpose in life was making that sound come out of her love.

"Make yourself comfortable." The Antivan urged. Innes smiled coyly at her.

"How gracious of you to extend such an invitation to me in my own quarters." She jibed as Josephine rolled her eyes and reclined on the couch in front of the fire place.

"A long journey, but not long enough to tire your attitude." She retorted, eyes smiling. Innes shrugged with a smirk, her gaze lingering on her beloved until she turned to her impressive walk-in closet.

Sloughing off her armor as fast as she could manage, Innes decided minimal clothing would be most comfortable on this night. Changing into clean smallclothes and throwing on an oversized tunic, she hurried to join Josephine on the couch, nestling gently against her. The Antivan ran her fingers gently through the Inquisitior's hair, tangled from being trapped in a bun for several days.

"You look beautiful, my lady."

Innes grunted, resting her chin on Josephine's chest so she could stare crossly at her.

"Why do you _still_ call me that?" She asked. Josephine's amber eyes met hers, dark brow furrowing.

"Call you what? My lady?"

Innes nodded as best she could without jabbing her chin into her lover's sternum. Josephine smiled slightly, tucking a wayward curl behind her ear before pulling Innes into a closer embrace.

"Among the Antivan gentry, it's very much a term of endearment." She explained. "Even those who have been married for years speak to each other like that."

"Oh."

"Actually, you should hear the way my mother and father talk to each other, even still. Five children and however many years later, and they still speak like they're meeting at a ball for the first time. It's quite silly, really." The Antivan diplomat continued, curling her fingers through the fine hairs at the base of Innes' head. The Inquisitor made a small noise at the back of her throat, and her eyes grew heavy at the contact.

"Does it bother you?"

Eyes fluttering open again, Innes pursed her lips. It didn't exactly _bother_ her; it just felt so formal for someone she'd been certifiably in a relationship with for months now.

"It just feels so…"

"Not intimate?" Josephine ventured. Innes nodded.

"That's it, yeah."

Josephine rested her head against the arm of the couch, her face scrunched up quizzically. It was a familiar expression. Innes loved to watch Josephine work things out in her head. She could practically see the thoughts bouncing around just behind her lover's endlessly warm eyes. The woman had a tendency to overthink things, but Innes had found that she had quite the knack for stopping the woman before her thoughts overwhelmed her.

"I don't want you to think that I do not feel harbor… very intimate feelings for you, Innes." Josephine said worriedly. "In fact, quite the opposite. I think of you very intimately."

Innes laughed, cupping Josephine's face gently.

"I know, Josie." She said, running her thumb across the smooth expanse of her cheek. "I'm not worried about that, don't work yourself into a tizzy."

The other woman visibly relaxed.

"And I know it's important to keep up appearances, given you're my diplomatic adviser. The diplomatic ambassador for the entire Inquisition, actually. I can't have you calling me pet names when we're at the war table. Cassandra's eyes might roll clean out of her head, and she'd be pretty useless in a fight without them." Innes continued, earning a giggle from her lover. "But when we're here…"

Innes gestured around her room, and sighed.

"But you know, all the titles I have… sometimes I forget who I really am. Who I've always been. And you…" She trailed off, biting her lip. "You make me feel human. More like myself. I'm not your Inquisitor, or your herald, or your excellence, or your imminence, or whatever bung they come up with next. I'm just yours."

Josephine smiled, a blush darkening her cheeks.

"I see what you mean, my love." She said softly. "I will try to curb myself next time I am about to say it."

Innes shook her head.

"If it comes naturally to you, then I'm not about to ask you to stop doing it entirely." She protested, shifting so that she hovered above the other woman. "Just… I won't be scandalized if you don't do it all the time."

Nodding, Josephine made a low sound at the back of her throat.

"As long as we're on the subject of things that would be considered scandalous, I have some ideas." She purred, her arm looping firmly around Innes' shoulders.

Laughing, Innes allowed herself to be pulled into a deep kiss, thanking the Maker she had a few days before she had to go out on yet another adventure. She much preferred her adventures here, with Josephine.

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><p><strong>Hope you liked it! As always, any feedback sustains me.<strong>


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